The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-01-13
THE HOUSE.
The Edmunds Anti-Polygamy Bin and tht
Tucker Substitute Adopted.

kn0 fsQmuhOS AnIl-POIysany IStit anu me
Tucker Substitute Adopted.
WASHINGTON, Jan 12-The Speaker an
nounced the appointment of Messrs. Skin
ner Peel and Perkins as confsress on the
bill for the allotment of land in severalty to In
dams
The floor was then, under special order, &C.
corded to the committee on Judiciary.
Mr.. Collins, of Massachusetts, called up the
bill providing for additional circuit judge in
the Second judicial circuit. After some dis
cussion it was passed.
The House then proceeded to consideration of
the Edmunds antipoiygamy bill and the Tucker
substitute therefor
Mr.. e. B. Taylor, of Ohio, gave brief sketch
of the establishment of the Mormon Church in
Utah. and the efforts which had been made by
Congress to suppress the practice of polygamy.
These efforts had been only partially success
full, owing to the difficulty of obtaining
proof of polygamous marriages. Congress
should take the matter in hand not in
spirit of persecution, but with the de-
| termination that the evil and wrong of
| polygamy should cease, 1t now growing
! stronger and was not confined to the boundary
| of Utah It's friend, the Legislature of Utah
would not strange it, but Congress must and.
fortunately could. 1t had the legal power. under
| the Constitution and it had the means at hand
| to exercise it. He fully believed not only that
| the pending bill would overthrown poygamy
but that. if supplemented by the proposed con-
| stitutional amendment, it would relieve the
country from all fear of it and It's coguate evils
| The Mormon Church disposed fife ard liberty.
1t dictated laws, and, In the of religion, it
| imposed the practice of poygamy. This people
| and this church defed the moral sense of civil
| zatlon. and we're antaeonistic to the principles
| and institutions of the Republic But while he
heartily favored the main features OF the pend
| ing bill. he unaterably opposed to pro-
vision of it-that abOlishing female suffrage in
the Territory of Utah. He stood appalled, at
the first suggestion of taking the electoral fran
chise from a considerable class of people accus-
| toned to its Would the precedent here
made be invoked hereafter, and If SO. III what
direction2 But though protesting against this
provision, he would waive his objection and
heartily support the bill.
| Mr.. Game, of Utah, earnestly opposed the
measure as undemocratic, un-American, and
| wantonly destructive of human rights, and be
| cause it set at naught the immutable principles
upon which the common rights of man were
| bottomed, and turned the Mormons and their
| church over to Unsuitable spoilers. He sketched
the settlement of Utah by the Mormons. de-
picted the prosecutions to which they had been
| subjected. and highly eulogzed the Mormon
people for their industry. intelligence and hon
esty. Passing to constitutional discussion
of the provisions of the bill, he declared that
the prescription of test oath prerequisite
to man exercising the right of suffrage was
not only odious to every American, out 4 clear
violation of the letter and spirit of the Consti-
tuition. In concluding, Mr. Cane asked the
House to pause. 1t could not afford to take a
step which was determined upon such insuffci
| ent and untrustworthy testimony. He pledged
his word and his character that the statements
| upon which this legislation was based were with
| out foundation in fact. Time. the corrector OF
| all evils, would right this wrong if such it were
and the fiat of the Eternal had already declared
that the last vestige of Mormonlsm shall be
hx,f aF,rl -
if it is not that which God, in his wisdom, has
appointed shall survive the ft.est. To gen
tlemen who had freed from bondage the negro
slave, who loved liberty and cherished the insti
buttons of our country, and who would bequeatl
them unsullied to their children, he pleaded
that they would not consign his people to such
inhuman slavery IApplanse.l
Mr. Bennett. of New York, opposed the bill
In speaking Of the clause requiring all male in
habitants of Utah to register and to swear ts
uphold and observe the laws. including this act
be said we were again to be subjected to thai
state of things which, in the South. ended in
/ corporal's revising the decisions of the Supreme
/ Court of a sovereign State.
Mr.. Reed. OF Maine. said that Congress had
! the right to make rules and regulations for the
Territories. AS to the Territory of Utah, he
was not sure that the wisest course would MOI
be for Congress to take complete control of tina
Territory. And why that Territory? A Ions
time ago body of religionists held possession
! of certain property belonging TO the United
States. 1t was not only a body of reilglonists
1t was people with a policy That was the
, Keynote of the situation. They intended to PEG
! pie that Territory exclusively with Mormone
aud tosegreeate to themselves. as separate band
J portion OF the property of the United States
That hierarchy had been kent M ever since
Their organization was an organization insid.
t of the Union, and controlling one of its Terri
tories. 1t was useless to call this bill an assault
upon religion. 1t was an assault upo,
band or men organized for the pur
pose OF exclusively controlling Territor,
which belonged to the people of the United
I States. To-day Congress was roofing out a,
unjust possession Of the soil that belonged to til
people. and that should have been open and fire.
to them all Polygamy was only one of th
manifestations of the bad condition of socie {,
in that Territory 1t might be asked why w
r did not let them carry out the principles tina
| actuate them. Because, some day or other
!. | these people might be admitted into FELLOWSHIP
, in the States. and while he recognized to tn
. | fullest extent the right of local self govern
L Nc. - - L.